CCC Training - Part 4

The Stats
Running
8/30: 3.14 mi; 25'03"; 7'58" avg. pace
9/06: 3.16 mi; 25'16"; 7'59" avg. pace
Cycling
8/31: 18.6 mi; 1:03:56; 17.5 mi/hr; 190 Avg. Watts (T)
                      9/01: 16.7 mi; 1:23:54; 12.0 mi/hr

Last week featured a steady stream of running and cycling Tuesday through Thursday before heading into a long rest break over Labor Day weekend. Tuesday I got out of bed and shook off the cobwebs for a solid 5k distance run. I got caught up in a group run of UC athletes. They finished near the gym construction and the leaders ran a time of about 12 minutes (as I heard their coach tell them), so they couldn't have done much more than two miles. Hence, I didn't feel bad about them passing me at my three mile pace. Plus, ya know, they are athletes on scholarship. I repeated the morning run routine today. It felt considerably less humid this morning - a good sign for the approaching race. I need at least one four-mile run before the Challenge to feel confident in that 8-minute per mile pace.
The persistent 90-degree Fahrenheit heat drove me indoors last Wednesday to cycle on the trainer. I did two loops of the Zwift London Loop course at a good pace. It is hard for me to ride at 200 Watts on the trainer consistently, so getting 190 average Watts for the whole ride was encouraging. Then, Thursday presented much cooler weather for an outdoor ride. I decided to hit the hills hard and did both Job Corps Hill and Mount Alpha to Whispering Woods in the same ride. The Job Corps climb was difficult, so I made sure to stay in a high gear and pace myself until getting near the top. I dropped down four gears and stood up on the pedals once close to the summit. It turned out to be my third best time (11:28) overall on that hill. I dropped down the hill at my quickest pace ever (3:47) and crossed the 35th Street Bridge back to Kanawha City. Mount Alpha was the next stop and I managed to finish the segment to Whispering Woods in my second best time. My descending skills continued to show improvement as I had a PR on the Alpha Descent (2:46). I am a cautious descender to say the least; falling off a mountain is not on my to-do list.
Training will hit another speed bump this weekend as I vacation to Atlanta. The running shoes are coming with me; I am determined to be in good shape come race day. Now if I can just carve out an hour to get in that darn kayak...